Wintertime Walleye, Stripers, and Smallmouth on Lake Powell

Artificial Lure here with your Lake Powell fishing report, coming to you straight from the red rock country of southern Utah.

## Weather and water

We’re in a classic early-winter pattern on Powell: cold nights, cool afternoons, and mostly clear, dry air over the canyon walls. Light winds are the rule, with only occasional mid-day gusts, so it’s very fishable if you layer up and keep the fingers warm. Water temps are cold and sliding toward their winter low, which pushes most game fish deeper and slows them down a notch.

## Sunrise, sunset, and “tides”

Sunrise and sunset are short and sharp this time of year, and those low-light windows are your main feeding flurries. Think first light until the sun gets over the rim, then again the last hour before it tucks behind the cliffs. Being a desert reservoir, Powell doesn’t have true ocean tides, but you will see overnight level and current changes driven by dam operations; those subtle ups and downs can nudge bait and stack fish on breaks and the first edges off the bank.

## Fish activity and recent catch

Stripers and walleye are the main players right now, with smallmouth bass still catchable but not charging the banks like spring. Most action is coming 25–60 feet down, on or near structure: ends of points, broken rock, and old channel swings. Recent boat reports talk about decent numbers of schoolie stripers and some chunky smallmouth, with walleye mixed in when you stay close to the bottom and move slow. It’s not a silly summer numbers bite, but patient anglers working vertically are putting respectable fish in the boat.

## Best lures and bait

Cold water on Powell means “small, subtle, and down in their face”:

- 1–2 ounce jigging spoons in white, chrome, or shad color for stripers under bait balls.
- Soft-plastic shad-style swimbaits on 3/8–1/2 ounce heads, slow-rolled just off bottom.
- Drop shots with small minnows or finesse worms for smallmouth on rocky breaks.
- For walleye, bottom bouncers or jigs tipped with nightcrawler or minnow if you’re set up for bait.

If you’re a bait angler, anchoring over marks and soaking cut anchovy or sardine for stripers still works when they’re schooled up. Just be ready to wait them out and chum lightly.

## Local hot spots

Two areas worth serious attention:

- **Wahweap Bay and out toward the main channel:** Easy access from the marinas, with winter stripers hanging on deep breaks and humps just off the old river channel. Idle around until you see tight bait clouds with arcs beneath them, then drop spoons or cut bait straight down.
- **The lower San Juan arm:** When you can make the run, this stretch often fishes a bit more stained and can hold good mixed bags of stripers, walleye, and smallmouth on points and cuts 30–50 feet deep. Slow presentations along the first major breaks can pay off in quality.

Work methodically, watch your electronics more than the shoreline, and think vertical rather than beating the bank. The fish are there; they’re just bunched up and a little tight-lipped until you put something right in front of them.

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This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI